Wonderful Curse
by Nibzo
Summary: As you know, I write a story every year on my BDay. This is like a remix of the Little Mermaid, only much cooler! So read if you want to find out! Sorry, couldn't think of a better title.Ryou n Ichigo Finished and Redone
1. Chapter 1: I Think I've Seen You Before

Ok, this idea to me seemed weird yet good at the same time. So I decided to write it. Hope you like.

Ichigo was a princess, and Ryou was a prince. Wait, let me re-phrase tha. Ryou was a prince of the merpeople. Fate knew they'd be together, but it was going nowhere. Until that on fateful day...

Princess Ichigo was on a luxury cruise to celebrate her 16th birthday. 16 was the age girls got married in her kingdom, and she was engaged to Masaya Aoyama; a prince from a far away country. She had been engaged to him since...well, last year. It was her father's last wishes that she get married to someone she loved, and it was tradition to choose a prince.

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"So you're saying, if I get kissed by a woman...I'll turn into what she is?" asked Ryou. His father wasn't just the king; he was also the creator of the kingdom Shinarician, as well as a inventor and a scientist. "Of course, but since you'll be staying here, you'll remain a merman, forever," his father explained. "Plus, today's the day I get to take you to the surface."

"Dad, I've been to the surface before..." but Ryou was cut short. "Yes, but lately I've been busy, and today, I just want to spend a day with my son," Ryou's father said happily. "Well, we better hurry, the humans are putting on a display of 'fireworks', whatever those are." Ryou's father started heading upward toward the surface of the water, with Ryou behind him.

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"Mom, they're beautiful! These fireworks are amazing!" Ichigo said with excitement. "Your father was quite handy...he made these for you, before..." she stopped. Tears were welling in her eyes as Zakuro (Yes, Zakuro is Ichigo's mother, I changed it around a bit) cried from the memory of her deceased husband.

"Mom, don't cry, dad was really a special person and we all miss him. And I love these fireworks; I never knew dad had saved them for my sixteenth birthday," Ichigo said. She could never stand to see her mother cry, and it was like a little needle poked through her heart when her father was mentioned. "Queen Zakuro, a storm is coming! Should I tell them to cease the fireworks so we can head back to the mainland?" asked Mint, her personal advisor. "No, we'll finish up hear and head back in before the storm even hits, we'll be fine," said Zakuro. But maybe, that accusation wasn't correct.

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"So these are fireworks," said Ryou's father in amazement. "Amazing, aren't they Ryou...Ryou? Where are you?" Ryou was up next to the ship Ichigo was on staring at someone. "She's...she's...beautiful..." thought Ryou. He had never seen anyone like her before. Her beautiful magenta hair, her figure and how he thought she fit into her fins (Ok, Ryou doesn't know about clothes, and can't see her feet under her dress) and that smile. But then, something snapped Ryou from his day-dreaming.

A strike of lightning lit up the sky, and hit a spot on the boats deck, next to Ichigo. Ichigo fell to the ground, as the spark lit into a blaze. Everyone started to run, and Zakuro brought down the lifeboats. She thought someone had taken Ichigo to safety, but as soon as she got out on the water and out of harms way, she heard a faint cry that sounded like Ichigo's saying "Mom, where are you? I need help, someone help me!" That was the last word she heard, for the ship split in two, and the half Ichigo was on had sunken into the water so quickly, she didn't even breathe.

"Ichigo!" Zakuro screamed. She couldn't stand the thought of losing her oldest child. Pudding was only eight and didn't come with. But now, Ichigo was gone, and she could do nothing about it. Or was she? "Search the waters! We need to find her! Losing her is not an option, now move!" she yelled. People started jumping out of the boats to save their dear princess.

Ichigo was falling into the depths of the ocean. She knew how to swim, but it was as if she had just forgotten. She was frozen, and she shut her eyes, and she thought this was the end. But then, she felt two strong arms around her as she was being pulled up. Ryou's father spotted him once Ryou reached the surface, and rushed over right away.

"Ryou, what are you doing! She's a human!" said his father.

"Dad, I have to do this, I have to protect her!" As Ryou and his father argued about rescuing Ichigo or not, Ichigo's eyes slowly opened. Soon, she was gazing at the face of the man who saved her. Ryou's father noticed this and stared at her. Ryou couldn't figure out what he was staring at, but then turned to Ichigo and saw her with her eyes staring at him, just looking. It was as if they had gotten lost in each others eyes. But as quick as she had opened them, she closed them. Ryou's father slapped Ryou for his foolishness, which caused him to drop Ichigo. Ryou was about to dive for her, but his father grabbed his arm.

"Lets go son, you've done enough," said Ryou's father coldly. "You're coming with me." Ryou's father quickly pulled him underneath the water, and Ryou saw Ichigo going deeper and deeper each second. Finally, he pulled away from his father and swam as fast as he could just to reach her. She was sinking at an alarming rate, and the water was getting darker and darker. She was almost too deep to see when Ryou caught her hand.

The surface was to far from there, and she would drown before he reached it; no matter how fast he swam. But then, he saw a cave, and he knew that there was a cavern where humans could breathe. He pulled Ichigo to that cave and gently set Ichigo down so she could breathe.

Ichigo breathed deeply once he had gotten the water out of her lungs. Mouth-to-mouth had saved her life, although nothing changed in Ryou's appearances. It wasn't a kiss, and once she was breathing again, he took her out of the cave and to the surface. By now, Ryou's father had almost given up, and thought that his son was just doing a good deed. But little did he know it was a little more complicated than that.

She had breathed water again, but was just unconscious. After he had gotten her to shore, he gently set her down, and try to give her mouth-to-mouth again. But this time, was much different._ "If I just get her breathing again, she'll be fine, and I can leave...never to see her again..." _he thought. But his thoughts were interrupted when she pulled him closer and kissed him.

As soon as Ryou got away from her, he hopped back into the ocean, but the spell was already starting to take effect. His fins were starting to disappear, as well as his scales. Soon, he couldn't breathe underwater, and couldn't figure out how to swim either. But just as he was about to drown, he tried kicking his legs, and it got him closer to shore. He repeatedly kicked his legs, and soon he was at shore. His fins were gone, and in his place were legs with a pair of shorts that when down to his knees.

After he had caught his breath, he walked on the shore, wondering how the hell he'd get home. He looked around a couple of times before he saw the girl he had saved sitting on a rock. She had heard nhis footsteps getting closer and closer, although her eyesight was still blurry. She stared at him, trying to get a good-look. Since Ryou had nothing else to do, he sat next to her, wondering what the hell she was staring at. She then snapped out of her day-dreaming and started to make idle chit-chat. "So, I've never seen you around here, where you from?"

"I'm from Shinara...Shinara...it's a really small kingdom, so small, they don't even put it on maps," said Ryou. _"Close call,"_ he thought.

"Kingdom...you mean you're a prince?" she asked. The only prince she had ever met was Prince Masaya whom she was engaged to...him and Prince Kish, but that was a bad meeting from the beginning.

"Yeah, my father established it," he said back. That was partly true, his father had established the kingdom, but not the kingdom of Shinara. Shinara was his mother's name which the king had named after her.

"Wow, I never met my father...well...I did know him, but I was only three when he passed on. At his funeral, I had no idea what was going on. I thought he was just sleeping, but afterward, when my mom told me he wasn't coming back, I was so...sad..." she said. Her eyesight was clearing up, and soon she could see the color of his eyes, but couldn't make out the rest of him.

"I'm going to have a step-dad soon though," she said with a little more happiness in her voice..."My personal tutor, Keiichiro, had an affair with my mother. They are going to get married in two weeks."

"Hey, at least you have a mother and a step-father, all I've had all my live is my father...my father named it after my mother, her name was Shinara. (Ok, I have no clue what his parents names are, but know what, this is going to be different, he has a father, not the same mother and father as in the manga) She died giving birth to me, so I never knew her," replied Ryou with a tone of sadness in his voice.

Ichigo's sight was finally returning to normal. She looked into his face and thought, _"He looks…….familiar….."_

"Hey, you look familiar...are you sure we haven't met?" asked Ichigo. She was sure she had seen him, and then it came to her before Ryou even made his reply. "I know! You're that guy who saved me!"

"Oh...yeah, that," said Ryou. "Well, I have to go, so….."

"You're not going anywhere; my mother would love to meet you!" said Ichigo. "Come on, lets go!" she said excitedly and pulled on his arm to make him come with her.

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"We're here, come on, I'll show you around!" she said, still dragging him by the arm. She wanted to thank him somehow, and this was a way of thanking him. She showed him all around the castle; the library, the dining hall, everything. She did this all while running, which got very tiring.

"I'm tired, come on, lets go see my mother. She thinks I'm dead! We need to tell her!" she explained.

"Look, I've really liked exploring with you, but I have to go," Ryou replied.

"No, you I need some way to thank you, and I'll ask my mom if you can stay a couple days," she said. Ichigo burst through the big doors which concealed Zakuro's room. She was crying, fearing she had lost her child. Once she heard her doors open, she looked at the person standing in front of the doors, and was shocked. Ichigo was standing in front of her with some guy.

"Ichigo!" Zakuro said while running to greet her daughter, and then embraced her with a long hug. "I thought I'd lost you!"

"Mom," Ichigo replied once they parted, "This is Ryou. He saved me from drowning."

"Hey, how do you know my name? I never told you."

Well, I heard you and you're father talking when you saved me," said Ichigo.

Well, at least this got rid of two things on Zakuro's mind. "Thank you so much Ryou," Zakuro said kindly. "If there is anything we can do, please just ask," said Zakuro.

"Well mom, could Ryou stay a couple nights here, i don't think he has anywhere to go," said Ichigo without consulting Ryou.

"Of course he can," said Zakuro sweetly. "Ichigo, are you forgetting that you're ball is tonight, I think you should go get ready?"

"Right, come on Ryou," she said, once dragging him by his arm again.

"I...I don't have anything to wear though. And if this is a royal ball, I don't think people will appreciate me walking around in these," said Ryou, pointing to the things on his legs. He still did not know what they were called.

"Don't worry, you can wear one of my father's suits, you'll look so handsome..." she slapped her hand over her mouth and blushed a deep pink color at what she had just said.

"Ichigo is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, nothing wrong, I just think you're really good-looking. She slapped her hand over her mouth again, her face changing colors at an alarming rate. She couldn't say those remarks were lies; he was well built and had gorgeous blue eyes with beautiful blonde hair. On top of that, he was very sweet. What was tempting her to say those things? Was she falling in love with this total stranger?

Ok, that's the end of chapter one, a premiere on my birthday. Duh, I always make a premiere on my birthday, last year was an Inuyasha premiere, but i deleted it because I thought it was really stupid and mediocre. Hey, I was younger...about one year younger. Anyway, today is my 14th birthday. Here's a little paragraph/summary of whats coming in the nest chapter:

"_Good morning Ichigo," said Ryou, making Ichigo jump. _

"_Where did he come from, and where did he get all those clothes?" she thought. _

"_Oh, I got these clothes from Keiichiro, he said that I needed something other than these things called 'khaki shorts'," he said. _

"_What are you doing here?" she hissed at him. She didn't want anyone interfering with what she did every morning. "Well someone's cranky this morning. So where are you going?" he said. _

"_It's none of your business," she hissed at him again._

"_Well then," said Ryou, backing her into a wall and getting closer to her. "I'm making it my business." _

"_Woah, now he's brave, no one would even dare talk back to me or back me into a corner," thought Ichigo. Her heart was beating faster and faster with every inch he grew closer to her. _

Yes the nest chapter is long; about 5 or 6 Microsoft word pages. Well anyway, read and review, over and out.

-Nibzo


	2. Chapter 2: Do You Believe?

Yeah, chapter 2, couldn't stand to not write this story, I think it's a cool idea. Anyway, if you haven't read my story Letting Down Myself, then you should, but I want to tell you there is a sequel in the making of it. See, this is going to be about Ichigo's confessions to everyone else and...why am I spoiling everything; you'll just have to wait until it comes out. Anyway, I want to tell you this is like tradition in old England, but it has a more modern thing to it, like the TV and the microwave and DDR...don't ask, just wait till it comes. Oh, and thanks for the person who said it was a screwed up version of the Little Mermaid. I enjoyed your compliment at the end, but I was pretty much confused; it was like you were insulting me and giving me a compliment at the same time. So thanks a lot for confusing me! And thanks to the other reviewers, and that time I wasn't being sarcastic.

I do not own TMM or the Little Mermaid. Nor do I own DDR, even though I love the game to pieces and can play on Standard level. Ha! I am a level higher than my sister!

"_Did...did I just hear what I think she said,"_ thought Ryou in confusion.

"I...I...never mind, ok," said Ichigo. "Come on, lets go!" she said as she dragged Ryou down halls and up stairs until they reached the attic. Ichigo's father's stuff was kept up there. But there weren't just boxes in there; up in the attic, there was a whole shrine to her late-father. Ryou stared at the huge painting of Ichigo's father. "He was the son of the king here..." said Ichigo, breaking Ryou's train of thought.

"I...I really miss him...my favorite story is how my mother and father met...my mother...she was an ordinary girl...and then...she went to that dance...and she met the prince...and then...they ran away to live together in happiness...years later, my grandfather died, and this was when I was just a baby...since my dad was the kings only son, he took the responsibility...and they haven't subjected for a new ruler because the town likes my mother as a ruler so much."

"Wow...I don't know anything about my mother...she died giving birth to me and I haven't asked my father about her," said Ryou.

"But...but how could you go through life not even knowing a thing about your mothe. I learn everything I can about my real father so I know what he was like," said Ichigo.

"It's...it's because the memories...they hurt," stated Ryou. Ichigo turned her head toward him and stared. "I love my mother because she sacrificed herself so I could live, and just knowing that sends this pain in my heart, knowing that I might not ever feel more love than hers." Ichigo almost got lost staring into his deep blue eyes. She almost wanted to...to..._"NO!"_ She said to herself. _"I can't...I'm getting married to Masaya next month; I can't have this total stranger come in and ruin those plans."_

"Here's one," she said digging through a closet-like space finding one of her father's suits. "This looks like it will fit, right Ryou?" she exclaimed.

"Right," said Ryou with a smile on his face. And even if she did love him, how could he ever love her back. She wasn't perfect, plus, he looked well over sixteen and was probably already married or engaged to someone closer to his homeland.

Everything was ready and the first guests had started to arrive. Of course, Masaya had shown up early and was introduced to Ryou, who wasn't all happy about Masaya.

Flashback

"Ichigo, are you here?" asked Masaya while wondering through the great hall. "I'm up here," she shouted back while she guided Ryou around like a lost puppy. "Ichigo, I heard that bad news. You almost drowned and I was so worried and...who's that guy?' he said finally acknowledging Ryou's presence.

"Oh, this is Ryou. He saved me," said Ichigo happily.

"I am forever grateful to you Ryou for saving my beautiful Ichigo," stated Masaya in gratitude.

"_His Ichigo?"_ thought Ryou. _"What does he mean by his Ichigo?"_

"Oh, Ryou, this is Masaya, we're getting married in a month," said Ichigo. You thought someone would be a little...happier when someone would say that, but there was a tone of sadness in her voice that only Ryou saw. Ryou didn't like something about Masaya; actually, he didn't like anything about Masaya because now he knew his one love was taken.

End Flashback

That had been hours ago, and by now, the place was already filled with people. A private band that plays all of Ichigo's favorite songs was hired and people were already on the dance floor dancing there heart away. Ichigo had been dancing with Masaya for some time now, and Ryou was getting jealous...really, really, really jealous. Finally, Ichigo noticed Ryou's bad mood, and decided to go over and talk to him.

"Ryou, what are you so...mad about?" asked Ichigo with worry in her voice.

"It's nothing, I'm just so bored," said Ryou. He was quite bored, but it was mostly because of Masaya, but did her really want to admit that to Ichigo when she was having so much fun? _"Then I'd ruin her evening,"_ he thought.

"Do you want to dance Ryou?" Ichigo asked. "I'll dance a couple songs with you if you want."

Ryou was surprised at her question. He never expected this to happen, and it was so sudden. "Sure...ok." Ryou got up and offered Ichigo his hand and lead her to the floor. He had learned about the ways of dancing on land, but he never knew that those skills would actually be put to use. Once Ichigo and Ryou were on the dance floor, the band started playing Ichigo's favorite song; She Will Be Loved.

_Beauty queen of only eighteen _

_she had some trouble with herself _

_he was always there to help her _

_she always belonged to someone else _

_I drove for miles and miles_

_And wound up at your door_

_I've had you so many times but somehow _

_I want more_

_I don't mind spending everyday_

_Out on your corner in the pouring rain_

_Look for the girl with the broken smile_

_Ask her if she wants to stay awhile_

_And she will be loved_

_She will be loved _

_Tap on my window knock on my door _

_I want to make you feel beautiful_

_I know i tend to get so insecure_

_It doesn't matter anymore_

_Its not always rainbows and butterflies_

_Its compromise it moves us along_

_My heart is full and my doors always open _

_You can come anytime you want_

_I don't mind spending everyday_

_Out on your corner in the pouring rain_

_Look for the girl with the broken smile_

_Ask her if she wants to stay awhile_

_And she will be loved_

_She will be loved _

_I know where you hide_

_Alone in your car_

_Know all of the things that make you who you are_

_I know that goodbye means nothing at all_

_Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls_

_Tap on my window knock on my door_

_I wanna make you feel beautiful_

_I don't mind spending everyday_

_Out on your corner in the pouring rain_

_Look for the girl with the broken smile_

_Ask her if she wants to stay awhile_

_And she will be loved_

_And she will be loved _

_And she will be loved_

_And she will be loved_

"Could...I don't want to dance anymore, ok?" said Ryou. He really didn't want to get this close to Ichigo; under the sea, if a man ever got this close to an engaged woman, he would be killed. "Just one more song, Ryou, please?" she said in a pleading tone. Ryou couldn't help but give in. He made his way to the floor again, as long as they didn't play...

_I'm so tired of being here_

_Suppressed by all my childish fear_

_And if you have to leave_

_I wish that you would just leave _

_Cause your presence still lingers hear_

_And it won't leave me alone_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just so much that time cannot erase_

_When you'd cry I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And i held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have all of me_

"_Great,"_ thought Ryou. Ichigo had moved closer to his body and from the looks of it was resting her head against his chest. To her, he felt so...warm...she wanted to stay in that position forever...

_You used to captivate me by your resonating light_

_But now I'm bound by the life you left behind_

_Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams_

_Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_

_This pain is just too real_

_There's just so much that time cannot erase_

_When you'd cry I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And i held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have all of me_

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone_

_But thought you're still with me_

_I've been alone all along_

_When you'd cry I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And i held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have all of me_

Sad enough for Ichigo, it did end. She parted from Ryou, blushing realizing what she had just done. She didn't think she'd be so close to him, and when she was, it felt like heaven. She didn't want to leave his side. But she was engaged, and she ran away, leaving Ryou.

Masaya followed Ichigo to ask her for a couple more dances when someone he'd seen before but never tried talking to walked by. He had always seen her with Queen Zakuro, but had never tried to get in her way; after all she was the queen's personal advisor. He was always intrigued by her, and for a moment thought, _"Why not?"_

"Excuse me, Miss Aizawa?" Masaya asked. The blue-haired girl turned around to find the prince staring at her. "Yes?"

"Would you care to dance?"

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Minutes later, Ichigo emerged back into the light. The ball would be ending soon and that would mean Masaya would have to leave. Once the ball was over, Masaya left, giving her a good-night kiss and left for his fathers own kingdom. Once the crowds had cleared, she found Ryou and led him to the room he'd be staying in. While heading upstairs, she saw Ryou gazing out the window.

"Ryou, why are you looking at the ocean?" she asked.

"Say Ichigo, do you believe in mermaids and mermen?"

"Well...when I was younger, my mother always told me of a story...and I still believe it to this day. Do you want to hear it?" Ichigo asked excitedly. She loved the thought of telling stories to people instead of people telling the stories to her. "Oh why not," said Ryou. _"Maybe I'll be in it," _he thought.

"Ok, my mother told me that long ago, my grandfather from my father's side of the family discovered the kingdom of the merpeople and wondered what to do with them. Once the king found out, he was furious that a human discovered them, and wanted to get rid of my grandfather. But my grandfather came up with a solution; the people in the castle would be the only ones who knew about it, and no one else would. The king of the merpeople agreed, and we now live in peace...but you can't tell anyone, alright?" Ryou smiled at this. _"Boy, would she be surprised if she found out I was a merman," _he thought and chuckled. "I promise," said Ryou.

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The next morning, Ichigo put on some baggy clothes and a hat that she stuffed all her hair in., except for a couple strands so she wouldn't look like she was bald. It was about 9:00 and her mother would still be sleeping until around 9:30. She was just about to go down the stairs when a familiar voice surprised her. "Good morning Ichigo," said Ryou, making Ichigo jump.

"_Where did he come from, and where did he get all those clothes?"_ she thought.

"Oh, I got these clothes from Keiichiro, he said that i needed something other than these things called 'khaki shorts'," he said.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed at him. She didn't want anyone interfering with what she did every morning. "Well someone's cranky this morning. So where are you going?" he asked.

"It's none of your business," she hissed at him again.

"Well then," said Ryou while backing her into a wall and getting closer to her. "I'm making it my business."

"_Woah! Now he's brave; no one would even dare talk back to me or back me into a corner,"_ thought Ichigo. Her heart was beating faster and faster with every inch he grew closer to her. She could hear him breathing and by then, he was so close that if anyone saw the two of them, he'd get in the huge trouble, and so would she. "Fine then, you're coming with me." Ichigo grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out the door and all the way to a...arcade?

"What the hell is this, and why are you dressed so funny?" he asked her. "Ok, every morning, I come here to play a couple driving games..."she said, and Ryou looked back at her with a confused look. "My driver's license...I am 16...you probably have one," she said. Ryou obviously had no idea what she was talking about. Once she entered, she noticed a new game she had heard about from Ikari; a princess she was friends with in another kingdom.

"Cool, this must be what Ikari was talking about, DDR! They must've installed it when I left," she stared at the game in amazement. "Wanna play?" she asked Ryou "Or are you afraid a girl will beat you?" she teased. "Yeah, sure, I'll play," said Ryou. He may have only been on legs for a day or two, but it was like he had been on them all his life. After putting in a couple coins, the game started, and Ryou and Ichigo, who had both never played it in there lives, now knew about the lovely game called Dance, Dance Revolution.

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The screen was like this when they were finished...

Player A (Ichigo) D

Player B (Ryou) C

"Wow...usually, people let me win..." said Ichigo. "I guess I don't have a future in dancing."

"Not entirely true, you may have stunk at that, but you were pretty good last night," said Ryou jokingly.

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" said Ichigo. At the same time thinking _"Who the hell is this guy? What happened to the sweet and caring Ryou I met yesterday?"_

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That night, Queen Zakuro was up in her room when she revealed a glass ball behind a purple curtain. After mumbling a couple words, a face appeared in the ball, and it was as if the glass ball had turned into a telephone. "Good evening King Shirogane," said Zakuro with a warm smile on her face.

"I wish I could say the same thing," replied Shirogane (I am gonna call him by his last name because...well, I just am) "My son has been missing for about two days and I'm afraid that... I'm afraid he's with his mother now," said Shirogane, really depressed.

"Oh really, what does he look like?" replied Zakuro curiously. _"Two days ago eh, that about the time Ryou showed up,"_ she thought.

"He's got blond hair, blue eyes and a little bit of an attitude, but he can be very nice. His name is Ryou" he said.

"Well then don't worry, Ryou is safe, he's with me," replied Zakuro. "What! Damnit! He must have kissed a human! It must have been that wench he went after who was drowning; should've just let her drown," said Shirogane in an angry manner. Now she was mad. "I hate to burst your angry shouting, but that 'wench' is my daughter, and I think he's in love with her," she said in a tone like ha, I got you there.

"No, he cannot fall in love with...a human girl!"

"And why not?" snapped Zakuro. "What if Ichigo loves him back and they have a child?"

"I shall not and will not happen! I forbid it! Besides, the spell loses affect about a week after it goes into affect. Plus, your daughters engaged, is she not?" said Shirogane. He had got her. "She may be engaged, but she could get out of the engagement just like that," she replied.

"Well I forbid it and that's that. When the spell wears off he will come home and forget all this ever happened to him and..."

"And what? End up miserable without his true love? Face it Shirogane, love always seems to prevail, and you must honor Ryou's decision. After all, he's almost an adult and is old enough to make his own decisions." Zakuro was finished talking to Shirogane, she did have to get some sleep. "Well then, goodbye Zakuro," said Shirogane hotly, and the glass ball returned to a blank screen.

Well, how do you like it so far? Oh don't worry; like every other fic I write, it'll be Ryou/Ichigo, just give it some time. Ok, so I am going to tell you who is in the band, so I don't keep everything in suspense. Tart is the drummer/percussionist, which includes keyboard, Pai is the male singer and electric guitar player, and Lettuce is the female singer and bass guitar player. There is a reason that they are members of the band, but they won't be exposed until either chapter 4 or 5. I'll probably post chapter 3 by...oh say, Monday, maybe Halloween if I go to work with my mom. Here is you paragraph/summary of the next chappie:

_Ichigo was crying on the balcony facing the sea in her room and she never once heard her door open. She couldn't believe any of the things that just happened. It was too much. She was drowning in her misery, and yet, she could always end it. She then felt to strong arms around her and a voice that said, "I'm sorry."_

This chapter is pretty long too, and this little phrase comes from the very end. Anyway, read and review, over and out. -Nibzo


	3. Chapter 3: A Broken Heart

Yay for you, chapter three! I bet you can't wait, can you, so just read and enjoy, k?

Me no own TMM, but it would've been a great birthday present.

(This is the same night that Zakuro was talking to King Shirogane, and this will have some script form because Masaya is on chat)

Masaya typed away on his computer, trying to find something to entertain him. But then a pop-up came on...

Bluehairedbeauty is online...

Masaya clicked on the name and in an instant, he was talking to his friend...ok, so he didn't know who she was, but that was ok.

Prettyboy2004 says: hi

Bluehairedbeauty says: how is it?

Prettyboy2004 says: its boring, u?

Bluehairedbeauty says: not much going around here either

Prettyboy2004 says: i need 2 tell u something (remember, this is chat, so instead of to, it'll be 2, and a bunch of other messenger wording)

Bluehairedbeauty says: what is it?

Prettyboy2004 says: well, you are a girl, right?

Bluehairedbeauty says: yeah, why? do you think a guy would have this name?

Prettyboy2004 says: lol, right...so, we've known each other 4 about a month, right?

Bluehairedbeauty says: sound right

Prettyboy2004 says: well...if i new u in person, then i would ask...i mean, i would tell you that i love you

Bluehairedbeauty says: oh come on, you're just joking, right...right...oh my god, you do?

Prettyboy2004 says: yes, and if i knew you and i wasn't engaged, i would ask u 2 marry me

Bluehairedbeauty has logged off

"Typical, should've known that something like that would scare her...if I only knew her...she's the most amazing person ever...she expresses her mind in a beautiful manner...but I don't, and I'm engaged, and its not like I'll ever meet her," thought Masaya. Just then, a pop-up saying he had an e-mail came to his screen. After checking it out, he smirked and grabbed his cell phone. This was what the letter read.

Dear prettyboy2004,

I can't really say anything...I was shocked...anyway, if you ever need to talk, I'll always be there. My cell number is (ok, these are random numbers) 325-786-2345.

-Bluehairedbeauty

The next day...

Ichigo pulled Ryou's hand toward the amusement park as Mint and Masaya followed. Mint was given a day off, and decided to go to the amusement park with Ichigo, Ryou, and Masaya. "Come on, lets go on that ride first!" said Ichigo excitedly.

"I love those swings, there so much fun!" explained Ichigo after riding the swings that take you up in the air and spin you around.

"Ryou, are you ok man?" asked Masaya. Now that he knew why Ichigo was so nice to him, he tried to be friends with Ryou, but what happened next wasn't very friendly of Ryou. "I think so, I..." said Ryou as he tried to hold it in, but couldn't as he threw up on Masaya. (Ha, see how much I don't like Masaya) Masaya ran to the nearest bathroom and the others followed. After cleaning the taste out of his mouth, Ryou came out as if nothing had happened.

Masaya was still in there, and that's when everyone started laughing! Masaya came out a few moments later, a big wet spot on his jeans. Mint and Ichigo immediately stopped laughing, but giggled every now and then when Masaya wasn't looking. After Ryou apologized to Masaya, they stayed away from the rides for a while...

"Ichigo, shouldn't we be heading back? It's 8:00 and the park closes in 10 minutes," asked Masaya.

"Lets go on the Ferris wheel first. PLEASE!" begged Ichigo. Ryou looked puzzled as the others continued walking. "Um……..what's a Ferris wheel?"

Ichigo almost burst out laughing; what guy didn't know what a Ferris wheel was? "I'll share a car with you then Ryou since this is your first time. Is that ok Masaya?" she asked. "Its fine, but if he barfs on your skirt, then I can't help it," said Masaya. After reaching the Ferris wheel, they climbed into two separate cars.

Mint and Masaya's Car...

After about a minute of complete silence, Mint finally decided to ask "So, did you talk to anyone new lately?" Masaya wondered why she was looking into his business. "Yeah, I have a friend, I don't know her name, but her screen name is Bluehairedbeauty." Mint must've gone into shock, because she froze when she heard that name.

"In fact, if you're so interested, I can call her right now," he said, getting out his phone and punching in her number. After about 10 seconds, a second phone was ringing, in earshot of Masaya. But that was impossible; these cars had walls and they were up so high. How was it possible that her phone rang at the same time Bluehairedbeauty's would? Mint took her phone and answered. "Hello?" she asked.

"Hi, I never got your name, what is it?" asked Masaya, still a little to shockedto realize that he was talking to the girl sitting across from him. "Well if you want an answer, why don't you just talk to me in person; I'm right here," she said with a little bit of sarcasm and shock in her voice. Masaya turned to Mint and only five words came out. "You're...you're blue haired beauty?"

Ryou and Ichigo's car...

"So you've never been to an arcade, you've never been to an amusement park, and you've never seen or heard of a Ferris Wheel?" asked Ichigo.

"Why is it any of your business?" snapped Ryou. That last thing Masaya had said really pissed him off.

"How dare you talk to me like that you...you...," she said, but Ryou snapped back.

"A what? An idiot, a dimwit? Go ahead and call me anything you want, nothing can make me any madder than I am now."

"Fine, you smart-ass!" she said back.

"Quit acting like a bitch."

"Jerk!"

"Ditz!"

"Bastard!"

"How do you know you're boyfriend isn't cheating on you?"

"None of you business jackass!"

"So he is cheating on you!"

"I never said that so bug off!"

Ok, this could get ugly, so we are just going back to Masaya and Mint's car...

"Masaya...about...about what you said last night...is it true?" asked Mint.

"Well...of...of course...your personality, it's like you didn't have a care in the world. I've always wondered what you've looked like...and...well, I've always wondered about you. Mint...do...do you love me?" asked Masaya after finishing the answer to Mint's question.

"Well...I do...whenever you were with Ichigo, you were so kind, so gentle...I've always wanted to love someone like that, and I secretly loved you, and know one else knew...but now you know...what about Ichigo? Mint said worriedly. She didn't want to hurt her friend, but these were feelings she had to express. The ride was coming to a stop and Masaya quickly told her "I'll tell Zakuro, maybe she'll understand."

As Mint and Masaya waited for the car with Ryou and Ichigo in it, they smiled at each other while also wondering if what they had done was right. Ichigo and Ryou came out of the car bickering, and once while walking back, she almost strangled him.

Next Day...

"I see...so you are canceling the engagement because of someone else," replied Zakuro. Masaya had returned early the next day to straighten things out with Zakuro. "I know that another ball was tonight, but you could still have the ball and make the announcement there," said Masaya. "I am very sorry for not telling you this sooner Queen Zakuro, but..."

"I would prefer if you would call me Zakuro, and it's ok. It's your decision and I must honor that decision as if it were my own," replied Zakuro. "Masaya just let me break it to Ichigo, alright...and you are in love with..." asked Zakuro.

"I must ask this to Zakuro, would it be alright if I married Mint, your personal advisor because she is the woman I love," said Masaya. Mint blushed a deep red; she had to be with Zakuro at all times. She was so ashamed of herself for ever agreeing to something like this. "If she is the one you love, than so be it, I cannot change that. Of course you may," Zakuro said with a heavy heart. Ichigo would be really heartbroken once she found out. "Thank you very much Zakuro." With that said and done, he gave Mint a quick kiss and left.

A maid was idly chatting to another maid as Ichigo walked down the hall. "Did you hear Queen Zakuro's personal advisor has accepted a proposal!" she whispered.

"What, Mints engaged! That's so awesome!" said Ichigo loud and excitedly, scaring the two women. "I have to go talk to Mint and find out who it is." After searching the entire castle, she couldn't find a trace of Mint, and went to her mother, hoping that Mint was with her. Masaya had returned because he had left something behind, and was heading up to Zakuro's room at that very instant. About half-way there, Mint saw Ichigo coming toward her, and started running.

Ichigo didn't know what she was so scared of, but chased after her, and finally caught up to her and tackled her to the ground. Mint didn't look Ichigo in the eye as she lifted the girl off of her and brushed the dirt off her dress. "Who are you engaged to Mint? Please tell me!" said Ichigo excitedly.

"I…..I can't tell you Princess."

Masaya was standing right next to her. Without warning, Masaya gave Mint another quick kiss and went off in the other direction. Ichigo stood there and froze; betrayed. She then burst into tears and burst down the hallway crying.

At that very moment, Ryou was walking down the hallway when a person dashed past him and into Ichigo's room. He wondered what she was doing? He noticed a few moist drops on the floor and glanced worriedly at Ichigo's door.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Thank you all for coming...I would like to announce...that Princess Ichigo will not be getting married to Masaya Aoyama. Instead, Masaya is engaged to my personal advisor, Mint Aizawa," said Zakuro. Ichigo, who was up there with her mother, thought of her conversation with Ryou on the Ferris Wheel. He had said _"How do you know your boyfriend isn't cheating on you?"_ She didn't know what to think; all she knew was that she needed a way to get it out of her, and she would do her one of her favorite ways to get this heavy burden off her shoulders.

"Lettuce, could I please sing a song for someone," she asked nicely to her good friend who had been in this private band for about 5 years. "Oh, of course," said Lettuce. Ichigo whispered something into her ear, and she gave a couple signs to Pai and Tart.

"As my mom said earlier, thanks for coming. I want to apologize for this though; I didn't know it was happening either. So I...I would like to sing you all a song because singing helps me to forget about stuff." After a couple seconds, Tart, Pai and Lettuce started playing, cueing Ichigo to start singing. Lettuce stepped up to the second microphone to aid Ichigo.

_Seems like just yesterday _

_You were a part of me _

_I used to stand so tall _

_I used to be so strong_

_Your arms around me tight_

_Everything felt so right_

_Unbreakable, like nothing could go wrong_

_No I can't breathe, No I can't sleep_

_I'm barely hangin' on_

_Here I am_

_Once again_

_I'm torn into pieces_

_Can't deny it, can't pretend_

_Just thought you were the one_

_Broken up, deep inside_

_But you won't get to see the tears I cry_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

_I told you everything_

_Opened up and let you in_

_You made me feel alright_

_For once in my life_

_Now all that's left of me_

_Is what I pretend to be_

_Sewed together but so broken up inside_

'_Cause I can't breathe, no I can't sleep_

_I'm barely hangin' on_

_Here I am_

_Once again_

_I'm torn into pieces_

_Can't deny it, can't pretend_

_Just thought you were the one_

_Broken up, deep inside_

_But you won't get to see the tears I cry_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

_Swallow me then spit me out_

_For hated you I blame myself_

_Seeing you, it kills me now_

_Though I don't cry on the outside anymore_

_Anymore_

_Anymore_

_Here I am_

_Once again_

_I'm torn into pieces_

_Can't deny it, can't pretend_

_Just thought you were the one_

_Broken up, deep inside_

_But you won't get to see the tears I cry_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

_Here I am_

_Once again_

_I'm torn into pieces_

_Can't deny it, can't pretend_

_Just thought you were the one_

_Broken up, deep inside_

_But you won't get to see the tears I cry_

_Behind these hazel eyes_

And then, she dropped the microphone and ran out. Ryou was watching from a distance and it didn't take him long to follow. Masaya now felt ashamed for what he did, yet he didn't regret it. Mint was the woman he loved and Ichigo needed to accept that...

Ichigo's room...

Ichigo was crying on the balcony facing the sea in her room, and she never once heard her door open. She couldn't believe any of the things that just happened. It was too much. She was drowning in her misery, and yet, she could always end it. She then felt to strong arms around her and a voice that said, "I'm sorry."

Ok, i really hoped you liked it. Yes, this is going very fast, but I am the writer here. Anyway, a summary/paragraph of what's coming up next:

"_Ryou, you're such a..." she stopped. Something was coming. The ceiling then busted open, almost crushing people. Ichigo and Ryou parted as they tried to avoid the chunk that almost fell on them. Then, a second burst happened; right over Ichigo. Ryou saw it coming and ran toward her, knocking her out of the way, but in the process, trapping his foot under the large piece of ceiling. _

"_No, it...it can't be...," thought Ichigo in fear. As the dust cleared, Zakuro saw who the perpetrator was. "You...I thought I rold you never to return againto this kingdom 6 yeas ago for trying to force yourself on my daughter. Leave at once!" No one else could see through the dust except Zakuro, and the voice replied back, "Yes, you did, but now, I'm back for revenge."_

Oooh, you want to know who that is. Well, you can guess and send it to me, and I'll tell you if you got it right, but otherwise, you'll have to wait. I think it's pretty easy, I'll make it a little simpler; who is another guy in the series who likes Ichigo? Did that make it easier? Anyway, read and review, over and out. -Nibzo


	4. Chapter 4: Kidnapped

Wow, chapter 4, I really have a lot of spare time. I am not making Mint the bad guy, and for those of you who guessed the character, you were right. I actually think Mint/Masaya is a cute couple.

I do not own TMM.

Ichigo turned around in shock wondering who the intruder was. But a sign of relief crossed her face once she saw it was only Ryou. "Ryou...what are you sorry for, you didn't do anything," she said, trying to hide her sadness.

"It's ok if you want to cry Ichigo. I'm the only one here and I won't tell anyone," replied Ryou in a soft tone. She then got closer to him and started crying again. "Ryou...the pain...it won't go away," she said through her tears. Ryou pulled her closer and stroked her hair. "It won't go away right away Ichigo; it will take some time," said Ryou while comforting her. Ichigo looked up at him and got lost in his eyes again.

She realized she was staring at him like that and she turned away and become interested in her feet. "And what you said before, I did do something to you...when we were bickering on the...the...what's it called?" said Ryou confused. Ichigo let out a little giggle and said "It's called a Ferris wheel...and I'm sorry for calling you a smart-ass, a jerk, a bastard, and a jackass." Ryou chuckled and shook his head. "Ichigo... What if...what if you liked someone, and they hardly knew you...and they just went through something hard...and well..."

"Are you saying you like me?" asked Ichigo. She had to admit she had grown quite fond of Ryou and liked his company, especially right now. "No...I...I mean I like you as a friend, but...never mind," said Ryou.

"The ball is still going on, you want to go back down...Ichigo?" asked Ryou. But Ichigo had fallen asleep. She was so cute like that he thought. So warm...he bent his head down to kiss her... but then remembered what she had just gone through...and if she woke up at that instant...well, who knows what could happen. So he carried her to her bed, pulled back the covers, put her down, put the covers over her, and said "Good night Ichigo...sweet dreams."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"What! Another ball already?" said Ichigo confused.

"Yes, I know Ichigo. It was supposed to be a celebration ball but now we'll just have to turn it into a regular ball to find you a husband. I know its really sudden Ichigo, but you need to get married when you are sixteen," explained Zakuro carefully.

"Mother, can't it wait!" She said.

"I'm sorry Ichigo, but this is the way it must be," explained Zakuro. She knew that she might get an earful of this and an argument wouldn't change things but would certainly make them worse. Ichigo sighed a sigh of defeat. She wasn't up for an argument either. "Alright, fine," she said as she left her mother to find Ryou waiting outside the door for her.

"So what did she want?" he asked, trying to sound like he was interested.

"Oh, just another ball, nothing new," said Ichigo like it was no big deal. Ryou just kept his mouth shut and decided to change the subject. "So what is there to do today?" he asked.

"I don't know...do you want to go see a movie or something?" asked Ichigo.

"A movie?" asked Ryou. "What's that?" Ichigo froze when she heard those words. She immediately wanted to start laughing her head off, but that would be rude. Who was the guy; he didn't know what an amusement park, a movie, khaki shorts, or an arcade was. "It's a moving picture on a big screen," she explained. "You want to go see a movie or what?" she asked.

"Alright, sound like fun," said Ryou with excitement. He had learned so much on the surface.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Wow, that was unusually boring," said Ichigo. _"Looks like Ryou thought it was pretty lame too,"_ she thought. "So do you like it?" she asked.

"_Not really, I thought a movie would be more exciting...No, I can't say that; it could get ugly again,"_ thought Ryou. "It was pretty good," he said.

"_He's lying, I just know it, just go along with it; don't want it to get ugly _again," thought Ichigo. "Yeah, it was ok I guess," she replied back. _"Great,"_ thought Ichigo. _"Now there is nothing to do."_

"Wanna go to the beach?" asked Ryou. It was the only place he really knew. "Oh sure, sounds fun," said Ichigo with a big smile on her face.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

"Isn't this the rock where we met?" asked Ichigo. Ryou was a little to deep in thought to hear her. _"I wonder how dad's doing, and the kingdom. I miss that place already. But……maybe I like it here on land better…."_

"HELLO? Earth to Ryou!" she shouted, waving her hand in front of his face.

"OH! Sorry! I didn't hear you."

"What were you thinking about? Must've been something important if you couldn't hear me," she said. _"Like a wife or girlfriend….."_

"Just about my dad. To tell you the truth, he wasn't so happy about me saving you. He said I should've just let your drown. But I'm glad I didn't listen to him."

"Sounds like your dad is pretty rough on you."

"Sometimes he just ticks me off, you know? I mean, he doesn't respect my decisions at all! And he's always too busy. I haven't spent quality time with him in ages. And when we did spend time together, we always started an argument! He's just so stubborn and hard-headed; he doesn't think I can live my life by myself!"

"Well…..hey, what were you doing in the ocean the day you saved me anyway? I mean, I didn't see a boat near-by, and you said Shinara was far away….."

"Our boat! It sunk because my dad got upset and we started a fight and we made a whole in the bottom. My dad probably swam to shore when I went to save you the second time…."

"Nuh uh! You only saved me once!"

"Well, my dad kind of slapped me when I was holding you. I dropped you and…."

"You're a butterfingers."

"Well I couldn't help it! And I have better coordination than you, seeing as I whipped your ass in that dancing game."

"Whatever!" They were silent for a little while until Ichigo glanced at Ryou for a quick second to see what he was doing. His blonde hair flowed in the wind and he looked even more gorgeous with that sunset behind him. "Ryou…." She whispered as her face got closer to his. Their lips were inches apart until they realized what was happening, pulling away from each other before anything even happened.

"Come on; we better head back," Ryou said, getting up. He offered his hand to Ichigo who took it and held it all the way back to the castle.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Wow...Ichigo...you look...beautiful..." said Ryou when he saw Ichigo come out of her room for the ball that next evening. "Thanks," she said in reply, looking downward. He offered his arm to walk her down the stairs, and when asked to dance, accepted.

While dancing, she noticed him pulling her closer. Her heart was pounding and a sad look was on her face. Ryou noticed this and loosened his grip. "Are you still upset about Masaya?"

"Yeah, kind of... it's just been really hard on me. I can't get it out of my mind."

"If you ever need someone to talk to about it, or about anything else, I'll be there." Ichigo smiled. "Ryou, you're such a..." she stopped. Something was coming. The ceiling then busted open, almost crushing people. Ichigo and Ryou parted as they tried to avoid the chunk that almost fell on them. Then, a second burst happened; right over Ichigo. Ryou saw it coming and ran toward her, knocking her out of the way, but in the process, trapping his foot under the large piece of ceiling.

"No, it...it can't be...," thought Ichigo in fear. As the dust cleared, Zakuro saw who the perpetrator was. "You...I thought I told you never to return to this kindgdom 6 years ago for trying to force yourself on my daughter. Leave at once!" No one else could see through the dust except Zakuro, and the voice replied back, "Yes, you did, but now, I'm back for revenge."

As the dust cleared, Ichigo knew who it was; it was Kish, Prince of Middle Centarium. Kish disappeared and reappeared next to Ichigo. "I'm back for what I was here for six years ago," he said, taking Ichigo by her chin. "You look prettier now than you did before sweetie," said Kish in a playful yet serious tone.

"Leave her alone!" shouted Ryou, a scowl on his face.

Kish walked over to Ryou and bent down to his position on the ground. "Well look here, another one of Ichigo's boyfriends. Shame on you for cheating, you know it's bad. And it doesn't matter if you like Ichigo anyway," he said, grabbing her by the waist and putting her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Ichigo immediately starting hitting and kicking and struggling, but it wouldn't stop Kish. "Well good-bye Zakuro, next time you see me, we'll be related," Kish said flying upward and he disappeared.

Some servants came to free Ryou's foot, and once free, Ryou tried running but collapsed. He got back up and moved in a fast-walk outside. Once outside, he couldn't see anything of the strange person or Ichigo. "Damnit!" he cursed. "I have to go after her!"

"It's not going to be any use; no one has a clue of where Kish has been living for six years," said a voice behind him. Ryou turned around and saw Zakuro walking toward him. She looked down and said "You're foot?" Ryou's face was twisted with pain, but he still tried to smile. "Its ok, I'm fine...who was that?" asked Ryou.

"That was Kish, he's was Ichigo's friend when she was younger...but then...he tried to..."

Flashback

A 10-year-old Ichigo was walking down the hall. She had to decide who she wanted to marry; Kish or Masaya. She was wondering why she had to be worrying about that now; she was only 10 for crying out loud. But some stupid law said she had to choose her husband before the age of 11, and she would be wed when she was 16.

After walking to her mother's room, she knocked on the door and heard a voice that told her to come in. Once Zakuro saw her, a smile reached her face. By the look on Ichigo's face, she had decided. "Mother...I like Kish and all...but...I...I choose Masaya," she finally managed to get out. Unknown to Ichigo, Kish was standing outside the door, listening, and he wasn't too happy about this.

End Flashback

"He tried to force himself onto Ichigo...and we were lucky to have Mint deliver towels to Ichigo's room, otherwise, it would have been too late. Mint was a servant back then, but she became my personal advisor once this happened because I thought it was the best way to repay her," she said, tears now streaking down her face. "And now this time, it will happen, because there is nothing I can do."

Ryou was now more determined than ever to get Ichigo back. "Don't worry Zakuro' I will make sure that Ichigo comes back. I'm going to go get her," he replied. He needed to get to work right away and limped off.

The next day...

He woke up pretty late, being up all night. He still hadn't figured out how to get Ichigo back, but he would do all her could and maybe even more if he could manage. People were cleaning up and repairing the ceiling from last nights incident. RYou decided to go down and investigate: maybe Kish left something behind that would get him even a little closer. But he found nothing. The only odd thing he noticed was that when helping clean up, the members of the band were acting pretty strange.

Another day passed and still nothing. So he decided to find a little bit more about Kish. After asking a couple people, he came up with jack squat. Maybe there was something he was forgetting. _"That's right! Under the sea, we learned that humans have the same internet access as we do,"_ thought Ryou. Maybe that would help him. After sneaking past some people, he got to the site that had information on everyone supposedly living or who had lived on Earth. After searching Kish, only one came up. He looked at the profile. Not much was said, but it did say...

Kish: Male

Race: Alien

Parents: Unknown, supposedly deceased

Sibling: five; three sisters; two brothers

Sisters: names unknown

Brothers: Pai, Tart

Heritage: Born of a human mother and an alien father, he is 1/3 in his family consisting of his siblings that are aliens. His sisters, whose names are unknown, were two half-alien, half human and his other sister was a pure human. His brothers, Pai and Tart are supposedly still living, and are aliens.

That was it. He decided to try clicking on Tart and Pai's profile. There profiles were most like Kish, and all three had a picture. The two pictures looked familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He exited and went to dinner, spending the rest of his time thinking in his room.

When going down to dinner, the private band was there are well, including Tasuke, Akito, and Lettuce. Akito and Tasuke looked awfully familiar, and a couple times they shot glares at Ryou. Ryou's memory started putting the pieces together, and it wasn't long before he remembered where he had seen them before.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Are you sure this is the place?" asked Tasuke, walking into the deserted room.

"I'm sure of it, that's where Mint told us to go," replied Akito. Just then the door shut mysteriously. They turned around and tried to open it, but it was locked. "So, you know the whereabouts of the Princess and Kish, don't you?" a voices said from the darkness.

"We have absolutely no idea what you are talking about," Akito said coldly.

"Yeah, I mean, why would we know where our brother…"

"Oh, so you're Kish's brother, eh? Funny, because the internet tells me that Kish only had two brothers and their names were Pai……and Tart."

"Did I say brothers……..i mean, we have no clue where that bother is.. Kish is such a bother for stealing the Princess, and….."

"Face it Tasuke, I found you both out. Six years ago, when your brother disappeared, you went into hiding. And then three years later, you returned, hiding your real identities. But Zakuro caught you, and you asked her if you could stay in this castle under the alias Tasuke and Akito. Your real names are Pai and Tart and you are the two living brothers of Kish!"

Pai just chuckled. "Very good. Yes, my name is Pai and I have been living under the alias Akito for three years. So tell me, who are you?" Ryou, stepped into a bit of light; enough for the two to see who he really was. "It's that blonde guy who's been hanging out with the Princess!" Tart shouted.

"I bet you two know where your brother, Kish is, huh?" said Ryou, his anger rising.

"Maybe we do, and maybe we don't," said Tart, sticking his tongue out.

"Tell me where Kish is and maybe I won't have to hurt you both!" Ryou said.

"Why would we tell you anyway? We have a right to remain silent, so we don't have to tell you anything," Tart shot back. Pai just stood there, watching his brother and this stranger fight. He knew what Kish was doing was wrong, and he had to put a stop to it. Besides if anyone found out the secret he was keeping, he would most likely be thrown out of the catle.

"He's...he's in our human mother's old mansion. It is deserted so only Kish lives there," said Pai, admitting defeat. Tart was shocked. "Why did you tell him you...you traitor!" he yelled.

"Look, if Zakuro found out we knew, she would kick us out of here, including Lettuce. She loves it here...and it would be our fault to get her thrown out with us," Pai said. Tart smirked and replied "You're in love with the girl, aren't you?" Pai didn't show any change of mood, and while walking away replied "Maybe I am, and maybe I'm not."

The paragraph/summary of the next chapter.

"_So Ichigo, this leads to my one proposal; marry me or else, I'll kill your precious mother."_

_Ichigo was speechless, and she had no other choice. "A...alright...I'll marry you," she choked out. "Ichigo our wedding is tomorrow at midnight," said Kish with a smile and he left Ichigo who cried herself to sleep._

Yes, the next chapter is a little short. Well, hope you enjoyed read and review, over and out. -Nibzo


	5. Chapter 5: Marry Me Or Else

Ok, this is how this story works; in order for me to post this chapter, I need to have the next chapter ready for posting. Why you ask? See the little paragraph at the bottom of the screen that tells you what's happening next? Well, in order to get it accurate, I need to write the chapter after, pick a paragraph I like, and stick it there. Not very hard work. So now you know chapter six is written.

I do not own TMM or anything else that's owned already.

"Let me go!" Ichigo screamed. She was in a deserted room overlooking the mountains. The windows were bolted up tight and she couldn't escape. A figure stepped from the darkness "Now Ichigo, squirming in here won't do you any good, you my as well save your strength until our wedding," Kish replied, smirking.

"I wouldn't marry you even if someone stuck my head in a cave of man eating spiders and kept me there till I was dead!" shot back Ichigo. But Kish was going to marry Ichigo and decided to hit her where it hurt. "You are so lucky my darling, knowing who your mother was this whole time. Too bad for me," he said.

"_What is he getting at?"_ thought Ichigo.

"You see, the day I was banished from your kingdom had another downside," sighed Kish "My mother, being married to an alien, was not very popular among her people. My sister Kaguya was the only human ever born from our family, so she was destined to rule next. I didn't want to rule, but I was still considered royalty and treated with respect. That day, I was about your age; 10 years old and I heard dripping coming from the basement. Being that no one else heard, I checked it out by myself. Do you know what I saw down there?" Kish asked. Ichigo tensed up as Kish continued.

"I saw my mother there, and she had committed suicide by hanging herself. Or that's what everyone else believed, but I know the truth; there was also a note written there at the bottom of her feet, and I was the only one who read it. My mother was murdered and I know it! The handwriting was not that of my mothers and you know what? There wasn't a chair there or anything to jump off of if she wanted to hang herself," yelled Kish.

"And my life just gets better; Cecile was about 4 years old that day and 2 years later, she hung herself as well. But before my sister committed suicide, we had moved back to our father's spaceship, but Cecile had to 'rule the kingdom' and stayed behind. Once we found out that she was dead, my father went through a tough time. 3 years later, my twin sisters who were half human, half alien were killed by an angry crowd! And 2 months after my last two sisters were killed; my father was slain in a battle!" There was a long pause where Kish tried to control his anger. After he had it down, he spoke again.

"So Ichigo, this leads to my one proposal; marry me or else, I'll kill your precious mother."

Ichigo was speechless. She had no other choice. "A...alright...I'll marry you," she choked out.

"I knew you'd see it my way, sweetie! Our wedding is tomorrow at midnight," said Kish with a smile. Ichigo was left there all alone as she cried herself to sleep.

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"Zakuro!" yelled Ryou as he burst open the doors to her room. "Do you know where Kish's mother lived?" he spilled out, out of breath. Zakuro looked at him confused. "Yes, I do, but why? That mansion has been deserted for years."

"Do you know how long it takes to get there?" he asked again.

"_Why would he want to go there?"_ she thought.

"It takes about five hours if you drive, you do know how to drive, right?" she asked. _"Of course he doesn't; he's a merman,"_ she thought.

"Ummmm...no, but I..." but was interrupted by Zakuro. "Then it takes a longer time by horse; even on the fastest horse, it takes a full day," she replied.

"May I ask if you could provide me with a fast horse to get there?" asked Ryou. Zakuro looked at him even more confused than before. "Yes, but our fastest horse, he isn't well trained. My daughter, Pudding, got one of the fastest horses in the world for a birthday present, but that horse is so wild and not very friendly. His name is Lightning," she replied. Ryou thanked Zakuro and ran out of the room. Zakuro called someone to get Lightning saddled up for a trip.

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Lettuce, Pudding, Mint, and Zakuro were there at Ryou's departure. Amazingly, Ryou had tamed the horse. He was ready to leave. After filling in Zakuro, she agreed further into the plan.

"Ryou…..can you tell Ichigo...that I'm sorry and that it was beyond my control?"" Mint asked. Ryou looked down at her and smiled, and promised he would do so. Once he had taken off, he was cheered with good-lucks from the four women and road off into the night.

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Ryou had been riding for hours. Lightning was getting tired as well, so they stopped by a stream in the forest for a little bit of rest. It had to be a short rest, but enough time to regain their energy. Ryou splashed the cold water on his face, washing away the dirt and some insects that had been squashed for riding so fast. Ryou laid on the bank and wondered if he was going the right way, but was so tired, that his eyes fluttered; open and close until he fell asleep.

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Ichigo was preparing for her wedding. She looked in the mirror and gazed at the dress she was wearing. It had been Kish's mother; she had found it in a closet filled with dust, so she figured this was probably her room. But for someone's wedding day, it sure was gloomy. "Isn't my wedding supposed to be a happy day and I'm supposed to be with someone I choose?" she muttered while tears rolled down her cheek.

She would be getting married in nine hours and didn't have high hopes of anyone rescuing her. She wasn't being helpless; she had tried to break the bolts on the windows, but no use. Ichigo's mind wondered to other things, like how she had gotten into the room in the first place. A door that she had swore she'd never seen before had found its way into the room. She decided it was worth a try and toggled the rusty old handle. The door creaked open, and after cursing herself for not recognizing it sooner, she ran down the hall; hopefully to freedom.

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Ryou's eyes slowly opened, and then, looking at the watch Zakuro had given him to keep track of time. He slammed his hand against his head, realizing he had been sleeping for three hours! He quickly relocated Lightning and sped off toward his destination. _"Maybe it's too late,"_ thought Ryou. From what he heard of Kish, he would probably not waste any time getting Ichigo to marry him. He had to hurry and couldn't waste anymore time, otherwise, when he got there, it was sure to be that way.

And that's the end of chapter 5. Yes, short, I know, but it skipped a lot. Anyway, here's the paragraph/summary of the next chapter. The next chapter has lots of my comments in it, so if I get rid of the comments and there in the story and it's not exactly accurate, do not freak out, k?

_These last words came from the priest; "Do you, Kish take Ichigo as your wife?" Didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. After Kish had said "Yes," Ichigo was wishing he'd be dense enough to forget where he was in his book, or maybe that time would stop or something. But time didn't stop. _

_Finally, the final word; husband. She managed all her courage and stuttered "I...I...I...I can't." She fell to the ground in tears. Kish bent down to comfort her, but what he said wasn't really all that comforting. "Say I do, otherwise you'll never see your mother alive again," he whispered. Ichigo stood back up, tears still coming like waterfalls down her face and began saying "I...I..."_

Anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter, so read and review, over and out. -Nibzo


	6. Chapter 6: Rescue

Hello, sorry it took so long. Nothing to say, so we'll just continue, ok?

Nope, still don't own TMM.

Ryou was still racing against the clock. What he'd do when he got there, he had no clue. "I must be getting closer," said Ryou to himself. "Please Ichigo, wait a little longer.

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Ichigo just brushed her hair continuously, like she had been doing for the last 24 minutes. Kish had caught her trying to sneak away and relocated her to one of his sister's old rooms. The lock clicked on the door as Kish slammed it, scaring her. She looked in the mirror, and then turned to the dress behind her.

Wearing the dress Kish's mother had worn was a little frightening. She had no one to talk to and was lonely. She then figured this was how she would spend the rest of her life; lonely, unless she gave Kish children. She shuttered at the thought; wouldn't being married to him be enough torture?

She continued brushing her hair and remembered when Ryou talked to her when she was bored. She then remembered that when she was around Ryou she was never bored and always felt safe. That was the person she wanted; someone who kept her from being lonely and someone who made her feel safe. _"But..."_ she thought. _"It couldn't be?"_

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Ryou was still riding on Lightning when he came upon a thick string of vines that was...hiding something. Trying to stop Lightning this time was a problem, now that Lightning wasn't tired, he could go for hours and hours. So he came up with one of his brilliant ideas. He jumped off Lightning's back and landed on his bad foot that still hadn't finished healing. His face twisted in pain as Lightning continued running, not aware that the rider had left. Ryou limped over to the sign and lo and behold, it said Middle Centariun Castle; 1 Mile Away. Ryou was happy yet sad.

Good news; He was only 1 mile away. Bad news; He had no horse, which meant he would have to walk. His sprained foot meant if he went fast, he would collapse from all the pain. So he figured the faster he got going, the quicker he'd get there.

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Ichigo was dressed, ready, and sad. Tears streaked down her face as she heard a knock on the door. She wiped her tears, figuring it was Kish who wanted her to hurry up. So, she picked up the ends of her dress and headed down to the chapel, located in the basement After finding her way through the maze hallways, she heard the organ music playing and figured that was the room.

She opened the door to find out that the chapel was NOT located in the basement and she had taken a secret underground passageway. She wanted to walk down the aisle as slow as she could, but Kish had a look to kill, so she walked quickly. She was now being condemned doomed to a life of loneliness and unhappiness. The preacher started talking and Ichigo just wished that his annoying voice would just drone on forever.

Ryou felt as if he wasn't any closer. Looking ahead, he then saw a big, dark looking castle about 50 feet away. He felt as if he couldn't continue walked, but he trudged on. He had kind of devised a plan. Get Ichigo out and leave. _"Nah,"_ he thought. He needed a foolproof plan; one that would actually work. Then again as long as he wasn't too late, he would be fine...or somewhat fine until Kish had to deal with him.

The base of his plan; get Ichigo out. Walking toward the castle, he noticed a smaller castle/church-like building with lights on inside. "_Strange...why would those lights be on, and yet the castle is so...dark," _Ryou thought. He made his way to the building with the lights on as soon as the rain started falling.

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These last words came from the priest; "Do you, Kish take Ichigo as your wife?" Didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. After Kish had said yes, Ichigo was wishing he'd be dense enough to forget where he was in his book, or maybe that time would stop. Finally, the final word; husband.

She managed all her courage and stuttered "I...I...I...I can't." She fell to the ground in tears. Kish bent down to comfort her, but what he said wasn't really all that comforting. "Say I do, otherwise you'll never see your mother alive again," he whispered. Ichigo stood back up, tears still coming like waterfalls down her face and began saying "I...I..."

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Ryou didn't care about his pain anymore; he just ran as fast as he could to get there. He looked inside a window and saw Ichigo standing there in a wedding dress. He watched her collapse and Kish bend down, saying something. She stood back up and Ryou couldn't take it anymore; he busted open to doors. Three heads turned and he saw a smile crawl across Ichigo's face. She ran down the aisle only to be stopped by Kish who took her arm and twisted it behind her back.

Ichigo screamed in pain and Ryou's face twisted in fury. After it looked like Ichigo's arm might break, Kish let go and Ichigo fell to the ground and started walking toward Ryou. "Well, looks like we meet again. Here you are interfering with my perfect wedding," he said finally running toward Ryou and attempting to punch him. "Do you really think I'm going to let you walk out with my bride!"

Ryou dodged Kish's attack, panting from running around everywhere. Then, Kish drew his weapons and struck again. But he didn't cut Ryou; he just struck him so hard that he flew back into a wall. Ryou was exhausted; he did not need this right now. He found a sword up against the wall and before Kish struck him in the heart with his weapons, he grabbed the sword and blocked Kish's attack; throwing him backwards.

Ryou stood up and Kish charged at him again. He blocked Kish's attack, but while holding him back, Kish said, "You think I am really going to lose and let you take Ichigo away from me you son of a bitch!"

He really hit Ryou in a bad spot. More anger running through him, he threw Kish back again and in the process, made a long cut across his stomach. Kish fell to the ground holding the wound and fell on his knees. Ryou walked up to him in anger and grabbed him by his collar. "Look you bastard, I never knew my mother because she died giving birth to me. She sacrificed herself for me and was, is, and never will be a bitch, so you just shut-up!" he yelled in anger.

Kish then took his weapons and stabbed Ryou in the stomach. Blood came from different directions as Ryou managed to grab Kish and threw him into the alter. Ryou collapsed from his wound, panting hard. Kish finally stood up and looked at Ryou who was on the ground, wincing in pain. A sinister smile was on his face as he walked over toward his injured foe. He then raised his weapons, preparing to kill Ryou.

Ichigo couldn't stand watching anymore. Kish was brining his weapons down when Ichigo ran toward him and jumped on him, taking her hands. She wrapped them around Kish's neck as Kish gasped for air. He tried to shake Ichigo off. He just kept shaking until finally, he collapsed from lack of air and Ichigo released her grip and went over toward Ryou.

She tore her wedding dress to make make-shift bandages. She bent down and Ryou grabbed onto her shoulder. She stood up as they limped out of the church. The walls and ground started moving and the ceiling was starting to collapse. They ran outside and watched the church fall to the ground, and once they escaped, they saw Kish fly upward, still alive.

"I will have my revenge; you haven't seen the last of me!"

Ichigo looked at Ryou for awhile and then wrapped herself around him. "Ryou! Thank God you came! I was so scared!" she said really fast. He was surprised and blushed at first, but accepted the hug and held her tight. "I was really scared too Ichigo...," he said quietly as he held her tight. Just then, he spotted Lightning grazing a couple feet away. The two hopped onto the horses back and rode to Zakuro's kingdom.

Woah, hold on a minute! Don't think this means the end and they lived happily ever after. No way! This story is just getting into the middle. I still have plans! This story ain't going anywhere and it sure as heck ain't done. Don't worry, I'll post as soon as i can, just wait a little bit, ok? I am also going to announce now that there will be a sequel Letting Down Myself...or did i tell you that already? Oh well, it will be a separate story. Here's you paragraph/summary of the next chappie:

_Exactly how many times did you kiss me?" he asked. Her face became as red as a tomato. "Um...uh...look at this plant I gave you, you've been in bed for so many days that it's going to..." Ichigo ended abruptly. Feeling guilty for not telling him because she might have invaded his personal space, she muttered "Three." _

_Ah, no wonder, I've been out for awhile...that means...this is my last day on the surface... thought Ryou, depressed. He was going to miss everything and everyone; the dancing game, the movie theater, the people up here, but most of all, he would miss Ichigo. "Ichigo...I'm sorry but...I have to leave tonight," Ryou said in a sad tone. It took awhile for Ichigo to contemplate this, but minutes later, she realized he wasn't joking. "Wh...wh..WHAT!"_

The next chapter is short; the whole thing took up three and a half pages. But it says a lot. Anyway, read and review, over and out. Nibzo


	7. Chapter 7: Do You Love Me?

Woooohooooo! Chapter 7! We are no where near the ending of this story! Or maybe we are...I don't know how much I want to include in each chapter...but there is MUCH more! You don't think I'd ever end this story with Ichigo never finding out Ryou was a merman. So, ONWARD!

I have not, do not, and will not own TMM or The Little Mermaid or She Will Be Loved or My Immortal or any other owned topics in this story.

Ryou awoke to find himself in a hospital bed. With no water? But...the seven days were up and then he saw Ichigo, sitting in a chair, asleep. He tried to get up, but moaned in pain. The part of the dress was no longer there and in its place were fresh bandages. Ichigo, slouching in her chair, awoke and once she saw he was awake, smiled.

"Ryou! I'm so glad you are awake! I thought maybe you were dead! I'm so glad!" she screamed, hugging him as hard as she could. "Uh...Ichigo...can't...breathe..." he choked out, his face turning blue. Ichigo let go, mentally hitting herself for being so dumb. Something came to her mind that she needed to say. "Um...Ryou...I'm sorry...but...I hope you don't mind...but I kissed you for good luck...hoping you'd get better...its not, you know...love...but it's a friendship kiss..." she replied, her cheeks turning redder by the second. Ryou put his hands through his hair and smiled. "It's ok," he replied. This reminded him of something his father had said awhile ago.

Flashback

"So it depends on how she kisses me that matters as well?" asked a young Ryou. His father smiled; Ryou was so young, so many questions waiting to be answered. "Yes, if she kisses you for good luck, 1 day, if it's unintentional, 1 week, and true love Ryou lasts forever."

End Flashback

"Exactly how many times did you kiss me?" he asked. Her face became as red as a tomato. "Um...uh...look at this plant I gave you, you've been in bed for so many days that it's going to..." Ichigo ended abruptly. Feeling guilty for not telling him because she might have invaded his personal space, she muttered "Three."

"_Ah, no wonder, I've been out for awhile...that means...this is my last day on the surface,"_ thought Ryou, depressed. He was going to miss everything and everyone; the dancing game, the movie theater, the people up here, but most of all, he would miss Ichigo. "Ichigo...I'm sorry but...I have to leave tonight," Ryou said in a sad tone. It took awhile for Ichigo to contemplate this, but minutes later, she realized he wasn't joking. "Wh...wh..WHAT!"

Ichigo walked down the hallway with Ryou who was ignoring his pain. "What do you mean you're leaving? Who will I talk to? Can I have your e-mail address? Or maybe your real address so I can come visit? Would your dad mind me visiting? Come on Ryou, why do you have to leave tonight? You just got here 10 days ago! Please just one more day? Please change your mind? Come on Ryou? PLLLLEEAAASSEE?" she said, giving him the lower lip.

He had to admit, it was hard to say no to that, and it was so cute and sad looking. But he had to go; it's not like he could live in Ichigo's bathtub. "I'm sorry Ichigo, but I have to leave," said Ryou. Ichigo was not finished though, but she knew she couldn't change his mind. "Can I help you pack than?" she asked.

"I don't need to pack; I came with nothing and I am leaving with nothing," he replied. The slight smile that had appeared on Ichigo's face had turned into a frown. "Well I could e-mail you? Or visit you? Please, tell me how I can keep in contact with you?" she moaned. Ryou had lost his patience. "ICHIGO! YOU CAN'T KEEP IN CONTACT WITH ME, OK? I'VE OVERSTAYED MY WELCOME AND I NEED TO GO, ALRIGHT!" shouted Ryou.

From Ryou's shouting, tears had appeared in Ichigo's eyes. "Well...well then fine...leave then..." she said. But Ryou had hurt her and she would not let him off that easy. "FINE! LEAVE, AND I HOPE I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN! EVER!" she shouted back, tears running down her face. She turned around and ran for her room. "Ichigo! I didn't mean it that way. I'm sorry!" cried Ryou. But Ichigo had already slammed her door and hadn't heard him. So he just waited in his room, waiting until sun-down, when he would change back into his original form.

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It was that time. Ryou was about to leave, and when down in the main entrance, looked back and said "Farewell Ichigo..." And then he left.

Ichigo was still locked up in her room. Ryou would be leaving about now. She didn't want to leave their friendship on bad terms. She ran out the door seconds after Ryou had left. She found him walking...toward the ocean? She ignored the fact that this was a little strange. She followed him toward the rock where they met and watched him. Minutes later, a bright light surround him. He was changing...she was worried. What if...she ran toward him. She jumped on the rock he had been sitting on as he jumped into the water.

"RYOU!" she yelled. Ryou turned his head before diving in and saw Ichigo standing on the rock; calling him. His eyes widened...and then realized that she needed to know the truth...she deserved it...he swam over to her, revealing his fins and he went. Ichigo saw them and gasped. Once Ryou had reached her, seeing the expression on her face told everything. She stuttered "You're...you're a...a merman..." Ichigo broke into rage. "You jerk, why didn't you tell me the truth? You were lying to me all this time..." she said, more tears coming down her face.

Hadn't she suffered enough? Ryou smiled. "Ichigo, if you really want me...then you have to kiss me...Ichigo...do you love me?" he asked. Ichigo was stunned. She didn't know what to say; her heart was saying one thing, her head another. "I'm...I'm sorry Ryou, but I..." she started out, but he didn't need to hear the rest. Swimming out to sea, the final words he spoke were "Good-bye Ichigo...my love..." and he dived under. It took awhile for Ichigo to realize what had just happened. She franticly started calling him, but no reply. She finally gave up and walked to the castle, in tears.

Wow...this chapter was...short...but I wanted to save some other things for later. I hoped you liked this chapter. Don't worry, Ryou and Ichigo do get together, but you have to keep checking in to find out how. In other news, I got the lead female role in the Christmas play. Anyway, here's the paragraph/summary...

_They both turned off there radio's and at the same time, replied "Stupid song". Zakuro had ended her conversation minutes ago, and had gone to get Ichigo to get her to her room to explain everything. King Shirogane had done the same. Once sitting Ichigo down, she started with, "Ok, what's wrong?" Ichigo just stared at her feet, silent._

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_King Shirogane did the same, but Ryou had replied with a simple "Nothing". Fate must have been on there side today, because just then, tow servants came and said that both were needed in another room. They left their children in the rooms. Ichigo was still driving herself crazy, telling herself that she did not love Ryou. "I do not love Ryou, I do not love Ryou," she kept saying to herself. But with every word, she began to feel sadder, and by the time she was on her knees looking at the floor, she finally realized and whispered under her breath "I...I...I do love Ryou..." The sun shining in her mother's room glared off...a shiny object. She slowly went toward it, and flicked it. That must have triggered something, because before she knew it, she was staring into King Shirogane's bedroom, and in that bedroom was Ryou, all alone. _

Hope this makes you a little excited. Anyway, read and review, over and out. -Nibzo


	8. Chapter 8: The Angry King

Ok, so i got the DVD Cardcaptor Sakura the Movie, the first one, and i must say the second one is much better. That's always how it is with sequels and movies; Spiderman 2, in my opinion, was much better than the first Spiderman movie, and the same with the Inuyasha Movies 1-3 (actually, movie two was the best of those three, but that's just my opinion) and the third Harry Potter movie was the best of the three as well. Just a thing with sequels i guess. Anyway, moving on...

I do not own TMM or anything else in this story except the poem in this chapter.

"Ah, my son, you are finally back!" said King Shirogane with a smile on his face. He was glad to have his son back and glad he wasn't in love with Ichigo. "Yeah, uh huh, glad to be back," said Ryou sarcastically. The woman he loved had just rejected him. _"Well now I can move on with my life, forget about Ichigo and,"_ thought Ryou, his train of thought broken. _"What am I crazy, I'm never going to forget her...I can't. And I never will."_

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Ichigo had run to the castle, crying her eyes out. She figured she would need to move on, but at that moment, she felt as if she needed Ryou, as if he was the most important thing in her life. She would never be able to forget him, even if she tried. She was so depressed, she didn't want to do anything; just sit there and cry. She then realized what she had said to him, when she said she didn't love him. She didn't...did she? No, she didn't...at least she didn't think she did. She thought that this would be a silly little argument going on in her head and would go away soon. But it wasn't.

3 days later...

"King Shirogane!" she said shouting into her orb. King Shirogane's face appeared on the other end. "Can't Ryou come back? My daughter has sat in her room for three days; no food, no water, she only leaves to use the bathroom!" King Shirogane raised and eyebrow in suspicion. "Strange...Ryou has done that too...must be a conspiracy," said Shirogane, making up something fast.

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Listening to their radios (In this story, merpeople and humans have the same radio system, but only merpeople songs play on a certain station under the sea, but they still get the same channel humans do, which will be Z 100) As if copying each others moves, the turned it on, and a song had started playing. Ryou knew this song, and as if they were in the same room, they started singing to themselves because this was how they really felt.

_Ryou: I wanted you to know_

_That I love the way you laugh_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain, away_

_I keep you photograph_

_And I know it serves me well _

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

_Both: Cause I'm broken_

_When I'm lonesome_

_And i don't fell right_

_When you're gone away_

_Ryou: You've got a way_

_You don't feel me here anymore_

_Ichigo: the worst is over now_

_And we can breathe again_

_I wanna hold you high and steal my pain away_

_There's so much left to learn_

_And no one left to find_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

_Both: Cause I'm broken_

_When I'm open_

_And I don't feel like I am strong enough_

_Cause I'm broken_

_When I'm lonesome_

_And i don't fell right_

_When you're gone away_

They both turned off there radio's and at the same time, replied "Stupid song. But at the same time, they both turned them back on, knowing it was the only way to try and end their misery.

_Looking back at me I see _

_That I never really got it right_

_I never stopped to think of you_

_I'm always wrapped up in things_

_I cannot win_

_You are the antidote that gets me by_

_Something strong like a drug that gets me high_

_What I really meant to say _

_Is I'm sorry for that wait_

_I am_

_I never meant to be so cold_

_Never meant to be so cold_

The both turned off and almost broke their radios. "Gah, stupid thing!" shouted Ichigo.

Zakuro had ended her conversation minutes ago, and had gone to get Ichigo to get her to her room to explain everything. King Shirogane had done the same. Once sitting Ichigo down, she started with, "Ok, what's wrong?" Ichigo just stared at her feet, silent.

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King Shirogane did the same, but Ryou had replied with a simple "Nothing". Fate must have been on there side today, because just then, two servants came and said that both rulers were needed in another room. They left their children in the rooms. Ichigo was still driving herself crazy, telling herself that she did not love Ryou. "I do not love Ryou, I do not love Ryou," she kept saying to herself, pacing the floor. But with every word, she began to feel sadder. But the time she was shouting it to herself, she collapsed on the floor; crying and out of breath. "I...I...I do love Ryou."

The sun shining in her mother's room glared off a shiny object. She slowly went toward it, and flicked it. That must have triggered something, because before she knew it, she was staring into King Shirogane's bedroom, and in that bedroom was Ryou, all alone.

"Ryou!" she screamed. Ryou turned around, wondering who had just called him; it almost sounded like Ichigo. No one was there, but he did another once over. An orb was staring back at him. _"Wait….orbs don't have eyes…" _he thought, staring into the orb. He was taken aback that Ichigo was inside the ord.

"Ichigo!" he said, his heart feeling gloomy again. He did want to see Ichigo, but...she had broken his heart, which he'd never be able to repair. He knew his father would be back soon, so he made something up. "Ichigo...look, my father will be back so, can we continue this later?" Ichigo smiled and replied "Ok. We'll meet at the beach at the rock where we met at 7:00 PM. See you then Ryou." The orb went blank, and moments later, King Shirogane returned to his room, surprised to see Ryou feeling better, as did Zakuro find that odd when she returned.

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Ichigo waited by the rocks, with a book she was furiously scratching things down on. Since no one else was there, she decided to recite one of her works to herself.

"_My love, I can't stay long._

_In only minutes I'll be gone. _

_I love you my dearest with all my heart._

_Don't run from your fears and hide in the dark._

_I hope you can hear me and my last thoughts._

_I've lived to my purpose, the lesson was taught. _

_I'm holding my breath with all of my might._

_I'm leaving you now, goodbye and goodnight."_

She heard a clapping coming from below her. She looked down and between the rocks, Ryou was sitting in there. "That was beautiful," he said with a smile on his face. Ichigo blushed; she thought no one was there. It was silent for awhile, but with tears in her eyes, Ichigo stuttered "Why...why...why did you lie to me?"

Ryou was shocked; this wasn't really the "warm welcome" he was expecting. He didn't even think that question would come up so he really didn't have an answer. Well, he did, but he didn't want to say it. "Ichigo...I thought...if you found out...you...you would be afraid of me...or you wouldn't like me anymore." Ichigo looked at him confused. Why wouldn't she like him even if she had found out sooner? "Ryou, I still would've liked you...you're my friend...well actually, there's a new thing to that," she added.

Ryou was now the one looking confused. "Ryou...about what i said before...I...I've gone over it in my mind...and I've made a really bad mistake...Ryou...I...I love...you..." she said slowly. A smile crossed Ryou's face. He offered his hand and said "Ichigo, you know how to swim, right?"

Ichigo didn't need an answer for that. She jumped into the water. It was cold, but Ryou came to hold her to keep her warm. "I love you too Ichigo, and I always will," whispered Ryou. They got closer and closer and they were just about to kiss when...an arrow came between them. Ryou and Ichigo turned to where it might have come from and saw Ryou's father with a bow and some arrows. "No Ryou! Don't!" he shouted. "Back away from her son; humans can't be trusted." Ryou's face twisted with anger. "Father, what are you doing, I love her and she loves me. Why can't you be happy for me?"

"Because humans cannot be trusted, they just stab you in the back; to our people and even to other humans! Just like what happened to her father!" he shouted in fury. Ichigo was shocked...he...he knew her father? "What do you know about my father? Tell me!" she yelled out.

Ryou's father grew closer so she could hear. Still at a distance, he began. "Your father...was a kind man...he knew of me and knew I had a son...and he died shortly after your birth," he finished. Ichigo couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You...you lie! My father died when I was three!" she shouted. King Shirogane grimaced. "You mean your mother has never told you about your real father, your birth father? The father you knew who died in a car accident when you were three is your step-father! Your birth father was murdered...by his own brother..."he ended. Ichigo was taken aback. Her mother never told her of this.

"Back then...more than a decade ago...your real father and his younger brother were my best friends who were humans...we could only communicate through the orb because our parents forbid it; but sometimes, we made secret meetings by that rock and we would talk there for hours. When your father married Zakuro, it was by the shore and I watched the wedding from a distance. They were so much in love. Being the oldest, he was the one to receive the crown. Then, he had you. Months later, his brother...your uncle...his best friend...killed him...he wanted to rule. Once your grandfather found out, he would never receive the crown. He was put in prison and Zakuro was made ruler of this kingdom. Then...she fell in love with the man who gave you a sister...and months after her marriage...he was killed in a terrible car accident...I decided then to never trust humans because all they end up doing is stabbing you in the back...and then you came along...and now my son has fallen in love with you...your mother predicted this and she was right; she has put my own son against me. I will never forgive you or your mother for doing so...so Ryou, if you don't want Ichigo to be harmed, I suggest you come with me," said King Shirogane.

Ryou just moved in front of Ichigo. "If you want to harm her...then you'll have to get through me first...I'm an adult now father...you need to respect my decisions," he said solemnly. Then, he turned around and kissed Ichigo. She was taken by surprise and soon responded by deepening the kiss. Ryou's fins became legs and that's how they would remain forever. Ryou's father was furious and began shooting arrows at them. Ryou pushed Ichigo away. Ryou was caught off guard for a moment as he saw Ichigo going under and then springing back up in an instant. "If I can't have my own son back, then nobody will," Ryou's father shouted, pulling out two arrows and firing them one after another.

Ichigo dived in front of Ryou and that one arrow hit her. "Ichigo!" shouted Ryou before he was struck by the second arrow and they fell on top of each other, sinking into the cold water. Ryou's eyes opened as he realized they were sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean. Ichigo was out cold, and if he didn't do something, they would both die. Ryou kicked his legs and swam up to breathe. He clinged onto the rock, Ichigo's weight falling on top of him. He climbed on top of the rock and climbed back down to the sandy shore, where he collapsed. Everything in his eyes afterward went dark.

Ooooooooh...is Ryou ok and will he live or does he die...maybe, maybe not...anyway, summary/paragraph of next chapter.

_Ichigo jolt up and moaned as she did so. She was surrounded by her mother and her personal doctor. Her mother was crying tears of joy when she found out Ichigo was alive. She hugged her daughter and whispered, "I thought this time you weren't coming back...I'm so glad." Ichigo smiled but her smile turned into a frown. "Where's Ryou?" she asked. A grim expression crossed their faces. "He is ok, right?"_

Anyway, you'll have to read on when I post again to find out what happens. -Nibzo


	9. Chapter 9: Happy Ending

Chapter 9 and I am sorry to say that this is the last chapter of this story. But I am not done with my writing avocation just yet. I was thinking of making a couple stories. Here are the summaries:

Searching For Toya's Heart-It's like the book Searching for David's Heart, which is the best book ever! It fits in with Card Captor Sakura.

That's What I Go To School For-Another CCS story, not a songfic but it fits with the song pretty well.

At Death I Will Not Leave You-An Inuyasha fic. What happens when Inuyasha dies and his reincarnation comes to Kagome's school? Will she forget the man she loved so quickly? (Published and finished)

The Battle For Ichigo's Heart-A sequel to Letting Down Myself. I think the title kind of explains it. (Published and finished)

Anyway, on with the story. Oh, and for Inuyasha fans who like this story, the new game for the PS2 (Inuyasha; The Secret Of The Cursed Mask) is out and it rocks! I don't have a PS2 and I bought it so my friend is lending me her PS2. Anyway, I am pretty far, so if you are just starting the game and need pointers, feel free to ask.

I do not own TMM

Ichigo jolt up and moaned as she did so. She was surrounded by her mother and her personal doctor. Her mother was crying tear's of joy when she found out Ichigo was alive. She hugged her daughter and whispered, "I thought this time you weren't coming back...I'm so glad." Ichigo smiled but her smile turned into a frown. "Where's Ryou?" she asked. A grim expression crossed their faces. "He is ok, right?"

"Ichigo, Ryou...Ryou might not make it..." her mother said sadly.

"I believe the arrow might have struck his heart, and if it did, there is a slim chance he'll make it," the doctor explained. Ichigo immediately broke into tears. She must have been doubly cursed. First Masaya, now Ryou, who next? Kish was still alive, so he could come back and kill Zakuro. Ichigo got up slowly and went toward Ryou's bed, which she saw was right next to hers. She noticed the big machines around him and knew he was on life support. She bent down over Ryou and started crying.

Her tears fell onto the soft blankets that covered him. Zakuro's mother went toward Ichigo and put a hand on her shoulder. "Ichigo...if he doesn't make it...it might be for the best...the people who witnessed you two getting pierced with arrows also saw that King Shirogane killed himself. He couldn't go through the guilt with killing his own son," she whispered. Ichigo got up and wiped her tears. She was still crying, but she started walking away.

Before leaving Ryou's bedside, she whispered "Goodbye Ryou," and flicked away more tears. One in particular landed on Ryou's forehead. As Ichigo, her mother, and the doctor left the room, Ryou's eyes slowly opened. It was blurry at first, but he then noticed his surroundings as the private hospital in the castle. He heard feet moving and turned toward the door. Ichigo was leaving him; her face streaked with tears. "Ichigo..." he said as loud as he could.

She couldn't here him. He tried to get up but the pain in his chest made it really hard. Groaning, he got up. Ichigo heard Ryou's moaning and turned around. She saw Ryou sitting up on his bed; his face contorted with pain. Her tears of sorrow became tears of happiness and she ran back toward him. She wanted to hug him as hard as she could, but stopped herself as she was about to embrace him.

"Ichigo..." he whispered. "Come closer." She came closer until she was about a foot away from him. It was like he wanted to tell her a secret because he told her to come even closer. She did get closer and where their faces were only inches apart, he gave her a surprise kiss. This caught Ichigo off guard but seconds later she deepened the kiss. When they broke apart, Ichigo asked, "Ryou...are you going to die and you wanted to do that because this might be our last kiss?" Ryou chuckled. "No, I think I'll be just fine...what happened to my father?" he then asked. Ichigo's face looked dark and gloomy when he said that.

"Ryou...your father...he committed suicide...he thought you were dead...and he couldn't live with that...I'm really sorry Ryou," she finished. She was going to talk on, but Ryou stopped her. "No Ichigo, I'm sorry. My father, he got out of control and I endangered your life because of it. Maybe...maybe this was for the best," he said a couple of tears coming down his cheeks. Ichigo disagreed. "But Ryou, now our children won't even know who there own grandfather is!" she blurted out and immediately took back what she said. She blushed a deep crimson color.

Ryou chuckled. "What makes you think we're going to have children?" he said sarcastically.

"Of course we're going to have kids, and I guess we can't change that now can we?" This time, Ichigo pulled him into a kiss and when they parted, she whispered, "I love you Ryou Shirogane."

_4 months later..._

We see Ryou and Ichigo kissing in front of the altar. Its there wedding day and flower petals are dancing as they fall from the sky. Ichigo throws her bouquet and a bunch of girls go after it.

Lettuce is the one who caught it first. Ryou stops to take the band off of Ichigo's leg and threw it at a crowd of men. Tart tried jumping up and down to get it but it was caught by Pai who just stood there and caught it while Tart was jumping around. Pai looked over to see who caught the bouquet and sees Lettuce standing there with the bundle of flowers. Lettuce also notices that Pai has the band and blushes as Pai stares in shock at Lettuce.

And after the wedding, Ryou got onto Lightning and helped Ichigo up. And they rode into the sunset, but instead of the regular "Just Married" sign, there was that and another sign. It read "A Wonderful Curse Has Brought Us Together."

_**The End**_

Wow, this story is finally finished. Ok, I don't think your to happy about it, but you can always check out the stories mentioned above. I think I'll start on The Battle For Ichigo's Heart Thanksgiving Vacation. I got braces...again. I had them when I was in fourth grade and my orthodontist said "I needed a break" from braces. So I have them again and my teeth are sore. Everyone says that it hurts to get braces put on. Well I say "It doesn't hurt when they put them on, it hurts about 7 hours after they are put on. I am hungry and yet it hurts when I chew; I can't even play my beloved saxophone, one of the few memories of my grandfather. (He played sax to, that's why I got into saxophone.) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it. I'm serious; I was walking home from school wondering "Ok, I need to get chapter (insert number) ready to go. What should I write?" I absolutely love writing stories; maybe one day it'll turn from an avocation to a vocation. Ok, I need to stop sounding smarter than I actually am, sorry; spelling test got these stupid words in my head. I really mean one day it'll turn from a hobby to a job. Oh, and no summary to another story I'm writing; hello, I just gave you four different summaries for stories in the making at the very top. Anyway, read and review, over and out. -Nibzo


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